Sacrifice for Love
by tinylexie
Summary: This is for a request made by alyssialui. Summary: How did Severus's parents end up marrying each other? And what kept them together despite all the abuse and fighting?


**Author's Note****: This is for ****alyssialui****, who requested a fic on what might have led to Tobias and Eileen marrying each other.**

**Additional Author's Note****: It is mentioned on Harry Potter Wiki that Tobias lived near a textile mill.**

* * *

"Just because Muggles cannot do magic like us does not make them inferior to us," Eileen's mother often told her as she was growing up.

"Always treat a Muggle with the same respect and consideration that you would show another wizard or witch," her father often said.

Both of Eileen's parents often stressed to her the importance of respecting Muggles. And in order to respect Muggles, Eileen had to get to know them. Eileen, therefore, spent a lot of time with her parents visiting various Muggle villages and getting to know them.

Eileen came to understand Muggle culture just as well as she understood Pureblood culture. And attending Hogwarts did not stop that education. She and her parents still spent time in various Muggle villages during her summer and winter holidays.

Eileen knew that other Purebloods, or _proper_ Purebloods as they liked to refer to themselves, did not approve of her and her parents' tolerance towards Muggles.

But the Prince family refused to view Muggles as scum that needed to be destroyed. The Prince family believed in equality for all. The Prince family believed in being open-minded.

Eileen's parents saw so-called proper Purebloods as being narrow-minded.

* * *

Eileen believed in everything that her parents told her, but she did not fully embrace those beliefs until the day she first met Tobias Snape.

It happened during the winter holidays of her seventh year.

She noticed him because he was not taking part of the winter festivals like the rest of the people of Spinner's End were. Instead, he stood some distance away from everyone else, in the shadows.

Eileen, who had always had an outgoing, curious personality, wanted to know why this teenage boy was insisting on being so alone. Perhaps he was shy. Perhaps he was in need of a friend.

Her parents had always taught her to try to be friends with everyone. That included the friendless.

* * *

"Hi," Eileen smiled sweetly as she slowly approached the teenage boy. She didn't want to startle him, after all.

The teenage boy jumped slightly. Eileen immediately felt sorry for him. It was clear that he was used to being ignored.

"I'm Eileen," she continued, when she realized that he wasn't going to say anything. "Eileen Prince."

Several moments passed.

"Tobias Snape," he finally mumbled.

"It's nice to meet you, Tobias," Eileen smiled, offering her hand.

Tobias looked at her hand for several moments. Then, he looked at her. It was clear that he was not used to anyone being this friendly and welcoming towards him.

Eileen allowed her smile to grow wider and warmer.

Then, finally, Tobias took Eileen's offered hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Eileen," Tobias smiled shyly.

That was the beginning of their relationship. Since Eileen was of age and since she knew how to Apparate, she was able to visit Tobias often during the rest of her winter holidays. And even when she returned to Hogwarts, she still Apparated to his village whenever the rest of her classmates were at Hogsmeade.

* * *

With Eileen's support, Tobias slowly became less shy and more confident in himself. He eventually got himself a job at the nearby textile mill.

Eileen got herself a job as well, at the Ministry of Magic.

And there was the one flaw in their relationship. Tobias did not yet know that Eileen was a witch. Despite her parents' insistence that she always treat Muggles with respect, they had also cautioned her about the dangers of revealing themselves to Muggles.

"People are afraid of what they don't understand," her father often explained, "and Muggles just won't ever be able to understand our magic. Our magic allows us to do wondrous things, but those things would frighten more Muggles. Power is always a scary thing. You must never let a Muggle know that you are a witch, Eileen, for your own safety."

Eileen, however, felt guilty for not telling Tobias the full truth about herself. As far as he was concerned, she was a perfectly normal young woman from a well-do-family that lived in another village.

Eileen could not help but notice that Tobias was somewhat envious of her family's socioeconomic status, especially since his family was very poor.

Her parents, though, had taught her that (just like her magic and blood status) her wealth did not make her better than everyone else. Eileen, therefore, knew how to talk to someone without sounding like some spoiled rich girl. That helped her a lot in her relationship with Tobias, even though he still had his moments of jealousy or bitterness.

But there was still the issue of her being a witch. Despite her parents' warnings, she could not help but feel like it was not fair to Tobias to keep her magic a secret from him. She loved him, and she had been taught that you never lie to the people that you love.

Despite everything that her parents had told her, she was going to have to think about the best way to tell Tobias that she was a witch.

* * *

One night, Eileen really did something foolish. She got drunk.

For as long as she had known him, Tobias had always like to drink. She, on the other hand, had always avoided alcohol as her parents had warned her that too much alcohol could ruin your life.

She should not have been so foolish. But Tobias had been depressed because he had just lost his job, and she had wanted to help him to feel better.

To put it simply, they both had too much to drink. And not long afterwards, Eileen discovered that she was pregnant.

* * *

"That child is not mine," Tobias insisted.

"How can you say something like that, Tobias?" Eileen cried, tears of both sadness and anger in her eyes. "You're the only man I've ever been with. You're the only man I would ever want to be with. You are this child's father."

"I suppose I have to marry you then," Tobias replied, even though it was clear that he was still very unhappy with the whole situation.

"You are truly an honorable man, Tobias," Eileen smiled, her body visibly relaxing.

Tobias snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"There is something else you need to know first, though," Eileen then said.

"And what's that?" Tobias pressed. "Are you pregnant with twins or something?"

His tone of voice was both sarcastic and cruel.

"No," Eileen said quickly.

She then took several deep breaths. He deserved to know the truth. He was, after all, willing to do the honorable thing by marrying her.

It was now her turn to do the honorable thing by telling him the truth about herself.

"I'm, I'm a witch," she said slowly in a slightly shaky voice.

"What?"

"I'm a witch," Eileen repeated in a firmer and steadier voice.

She then pulled out her wand.

Tobias jumped back in clear fear as Eileen waved her wand at his glass on the kitchen table.

The glass turned into a little bird.

Eileen then waved her wand at the bird, and it turned back into a glass.

Tobias looked at her with an expression that was a combination of fear and anger.

"You've, you've bewitched me, you freak," he snarled.

"I did no such thing, Tobias," Eileen replied in a hurt voice.

"Is that baby you're carrying going to be a freak as well?" Tobias demanded.

"Is he or she going to have magic?" Eileen corrected. "Most likely, yes. I will understand if you don't want to marry me. I know that this is a lot to take in."

"I'm not going to give you even more reason to use your filthy witchcraft on me," Tobias sneered. "Besides, like you said, I'm an honorable man."

Tobias said the last part mockingly.

Eileen, however, was just glad that she wouldn't have to tell her parents that she got herself pregnant before she had gotten married.

Her parents tolerated many things, but having a child out of wedlock was one thing she knew they would never tolerate.

And at least her child would have a father. Her parents had always stressed to her the importance of a child being raised by two parents.

* * *

Tobias and Eileen spent little time on planning their wedding. After all, they wanted to be married before it became noticeable that Eileen was pregnant.

So, Tobias and Eileen got married in a short, simple affair. Then, several months later, Eileen gave birth to a son.

She named him Severus.

Tobias, however, never took any joy in either his wife or his son. Instead, he resented and hated both of them. He especially hated Eileen, as he saw her as being the one who had ruined his life by using her filthy witchcraft to seduce him.

He also blamed Eileen for his unemployment. Her filthy witchcraft was constantly at work against him. In his eyes, she did nothing but make his life miserable. Everything was her fault.

* * *

Eileen remembered the first time that Tobias slapped her.

It happened after he had once again had too much to drink.

* * *

At first, she was shocked. Then, she was angry.

She, however, did not think to slap back. She didn't even think to pull her wand on her husband.

Eileen wanted to prove to Tobias that she wasn't a freak or monster, and she knew that using her magic against him would most definitely not prove that point.

So, Eileen just accepted the beatings as if she was a Muggle and not a witch.

She didn't consider, even for a moment, leaving her husband.

To leave him would mean admitting that the proper Purebloods were right when they said that wizards and witches should never mix with Muggles.

To leave her husband would mean admitting that her parents had been wrong this whole time about Muggles being worthy of respect.

That was also why she didn't go to her parents for help. She didn't want them thinking that they had been wrong about Muggles. She didn't want them blaming themselves for her misfortunes in life.

She would somehow find a way to make it work with Tobias. She would somehow find a way to make marriage between a witch and a Muggle work.

She would sacrifice for love.

* * *

There were times, however, when Eileen finally had enough and she fought back.

She, however, never fought back with magic.

Her parents had always taught her to treat Muggles with respect and to treat them as if they were equals.

She would not, therefore, use her magic to gain an unfair advantage on her husband.

Besides, she loved him.

Or at least that was what she kept on telling herself.


End file.
